Hard work and good timing pay off

October 2013

Jim Lederer, BS ’82, MBA ’96, knows
about being in the right place at the right time.

Set to marry his high school sweetheart just one week after
receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1982, the finance major
landed his first job offer the Friday after commencement. “I
accepted the offer, then headed over to our rehearsal
dinner,” he says.

Lederer says that first position, as a financial operations
analyst with Scott Aviation, fit his needs perfectly.

“I come from a family of engineers, so I was always more
interested in working in a product company environment,” he
says. Scott (now known as AVOX Systems Inc.) developed and
manufactured breathing equipment for firefighting, aviation and
defense industries. Lederer rose quickly in the organization,
eventually supervising all budgeting for the multimillion-dollar
company.

After four years with Scott, Lederer moved on to Harrison
Radiator in Lockport, his hometown. “I was looking to get
experience at a much larger operations and manufacturing
organization,” he says. At the time, Harrison (now called
Delphi) was part of General Motors, and over time Lederer became
responsible for worldwide financial analysis and corporate
reporting for the $1.8 billion division.

He stayed with GM for seven years, but it was becoming
increasingly clear to Lederer that the country’s
manufacturing base was shrinking and that technology-focused
companies were on the rise. So Lederer returned to the School of
Management for his MBA, with hopes of retooling his skills to move
into this burgeoning industry.

His chance came just a few months into his studies when, in
another example of great timing, a former classmate contacted him
about a local opportunity at Motorola Inc. Although Lederer was
originally enrolled in the full-time MBA program, he switched to
the Professional MBA (PMBA) program to complete his degree. A
little over a year later, Motorola transferred him to the Chicago
area, but the School of Management worked with him so he could
complete his coursework and receive his MBA in 1996.

“My undergraduate and graduate studies were tremendously
beneficial because all of the coursework was embedded with the
important skills to help me succeed,” Lederer says.
“The leadership, communication and problem-solving skills,
along with working in teams and toward deadlines, have helped my
career the most.”

Lederer joined Motorola just as the “Wireless
Revolution” was under way. After four years in various roles
across multiple divisions he was recruited to join Qualcomm in San
Diego as a senior manager in its corporate strategic finance
group.

“It was a great opportunity,” Lederer says.
“And I would be lying if I said, after many years of living
in Buffalo and Chicago, that Southern California’s sunny
climate wasn’t part of the appeal.” With the eldest of
their three children about to enter high school, he and his wife
agreed the timing was right for the move.

Lederer has been with Qualcomm for more than 16 years, and is
now an executive vice president and executive committee member, and
also serves as general manager of their semiconductor division
(Qualcomm CDMA Technologies). He has seen a meteoric rise in the
wireless industry in that time, and the future is still very
bright.

“In many parts of the world, the first and sometimes only
connection to the Internet will be through someone’s cell
phone. It’s extremely rewarding to be a part of an industry
that is having such a profound effect on people’s
lives.”

In addition, Lederer currently serves on the Dean’s
Advisory Council for the School of Management, where he shares his
unique perspective and career experience.

“I have fond memories of UB and I want to help ensure that
it stays relevant,” he says. “I hope that by bringing
some geographic and industry diversity to the council, the school
will continue to remain current and relevant as we move
forward.”